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Timeline of Linux development

This timeline shows the development of the Linux kernel.


Timeline
Apr 1991 Linus Torvalds, then 21, starts working on some simple ideas for an operating-system. Starting with a task-switcher in 386-assembly and a terminal-driver.
25 Aug 1991 Linus posts to comp.os.minix: [1]

"I'm doing a (free) operating system (just a hobby, won't be big and professional like gnu) for 386(486) AT clones. This has been brewing since april, and is starting to get ready. I'd like any feedback on things people like/dislike in minix, as my OS resembles it somewhat (same physical layout of the file-system (due to practical reasons) among other things).

I've currently ported bash(1.08) and gcc(1.40), and things seem to work. This implies that I'll get something practical within a few months [...] Yes - it's free of any minix code, and it has a multi-threaded fs. It is NOT protable (uses 386 task switching etc), and it probably never will support anything other than AT-harddisks, as that's all I have :-(.

[...] It's mostly in C, but most people wouldn't call what I write C. It uses every conceivable feature of the 386 I could find, as it was also a project to teach me about the 386. As already mentioned, it uses a MMU, for both paging (not to disk yet) and segmentation. It's the segmentation that makes it REALLY 386 dependent (every task has a 64Mb segment for code & data - max 64 tasks in 4Gb. Anybody who needs more than 64Mb/task - tough cookies). [...] Some of my "C"-files (specifically mm.c) are almost as much assembler as C. [...] Unlike minix, I also happen to LIKE interrupts, so interrupts are handled without trying to hide the reason behind them"

Sep 1991 Linux version 0.01 is released. 10,239 lines of code.
Oct 1991 Linux version 0.02 is released. [2]
Dec 1991 Linux 0.11 is released. This version is the first that is self-hosted. (that is: you can compile Linux 0.11 under Linux 0.11)
19 Jan 1992 First post to alt.os.linux newsgroup.

[3]

31 Mar 1992 The newsgroup comp.os.linux is created. [4]
Apr 1992 Linux version 0.96 is the first to be capable of running the X Window System.
14 Mar 1994 Linux 1.0.0 is released. 176,250 lines of code.
Mar 1995 Linux 1.2.0 is released 310,950 lines of code.
9 May 1996 Tux the penguin, is suggested as mascot for Linux
9 Jun 1996 Linux 2.0.0 is released. 777,956 lines of code.
25 Jan 1999 Linux 2.2.0 is released, very buggy at first. 1,800,847 lines of code.
4 Jan 2001 Linux 2.4.0 is released. 3,377,902 lines of code.
18 Dec 2003 Linux 2.6.0 is released. 5,929,913 lines of code.


External links

  • http://web.archive.org/web/19990117070510/www.forbes.com/forbes/98/0810/6203094a.htm
  • http://old.lwn.net/2001/features/Timeline/
  • http://www.nd.edu/~ljordan/linux/tuxhistory.html
  • http://www.linuxjournal.com/article.php?sid=6000
  • http://netfiles.uiuc.edu/rhasan/linux


Last updated: 10-24-2004 05:10:45